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DAYTONA BEACH -- The regular-season opener for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is just days away.

Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag for the 60th running of the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. The starting order for the rest of the 40-car field will be determined Thursday night in the Can-Am Duel qualifying races.

Need to Know

There are two Duel races, each consisting of 60 laps.

The cars in the first Duel will start on the inside row for the Daytona 500, while the drivers in the second race will take the green flag Sunday from the outside lane.

Though no playoff points will be awarded and the two winners won’t be able to cement a spot in the postseason, the top 10 drivers in each Duel will be awarded regular-season points they can take into the Daytona 500, with the first-place driver earning 10 points.

In the event of inclement weather, qualifying results from last Sunday will be used to set the starting order.

The Clash

Brad Keselowski’s 2018 season is off to a great start, as the Michigan native won the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona last Sunday for his first-ever Clash win.

“What a way to start Speedweeks – putting the Miller Lite Ford in victory lane,” Keselowski said. “I am really proud of my team. It means a lot. I have never won anything here during Speedweeks, and I feel like I have choked them away to be quite honest. You need one to break through. Hopefully, this is our breakthrough.”

Keselowski, who will start 10th in Duel 1, recorded his highest-place finish at Daytona in July, placing third in the Coke Zero 400.

Joey Logano was unable to pass Keselowski in the Clash and finished second, while Kyle Busch finished third. Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon capped off the top five.

Duel 1

The first Duel is comprised of the drivers who recorded an odd-numbered position on the qualifying speed chart last Sunday and will be led by Bowman, who clocked in a lap time of 46.002 seconds around the 2.5-mile superspeedway to secure the pole position.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, nephew of newly retired Dale Earnhardt Jr., will start Duel 1 in the 18th-place position. Earnhardt, 28, will drive in “The Great American Race” for StarCom Racing, which will mark the 40th straight year an Earnhardt has raced in the Daytona 500.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Bowman said of winning the pole award. “Our Nationwide Camaro ZL1 has been great since we unloaded. All the guys back at the chassis shop, body shop and the Hendrick engine shop have been top-notch. They've all worked so hard. And we knew we were going for the pole; that’s what we’re here to do. ... Everybody works so hard at these speedway cars, especially the 500. It just means the world to have nationwide support and to be able to put it on the pole.”